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West Ham can't afford to let Reece Oxford leave permanently

The West Ham starlet is reportedly wanted on a permanent deal by his loan club.

Reece Oxford may not have progressed quite as expected since his initial breakthrough into the West Ham United team two seasons ago, but the prospect still has a very good chance of succeeding at the club.

Capable of playing as a centre-back or a defensive-midfielder, Oxford showed some very encouraging initial signs for West Ham in the 2015/16 season but has since endured some frustrating loan spells.

Last season, for instance, Oxford was unable to command a regular starting berth after joining Reading on loan for the second half of the campaign.

Meanwhile, this season he has been restricted to just one minute of Bundesliga football for Borussia Monchengladbach, with the 18-year-old finding himself in another frustrating situation.

Despite the lack of game time he has been afforded, however, Monchengladbach are eager to sign Oxford on a permanent basis, as reported by the London Evening Standard.

Given Oxford's vast potential, West Ham simply cannot contemplate letting him leave permanently, even if Monchengladbach were to make an appealing offer.

At the very least Oxford deserves a sustained opportunity to show that he is worthy of a regular place in the West Ham side, something which he could well be afforded next season.

Allowing Oxford to leave at this stage of his development could turn out to be a disastrous move for West Ham, who should instead still see him as a potential solution to the defensive issues that they have endured this season.